The Story of Candace
by Squishtopher93
Summary: A story about  and character analysis of  Candace. Starts off as one shots but will get a plot after a while. Rated T just to be safe. Disclaimer: I don't know Phineas and Ferb, Disney does.
1. Just Another Day on the Job

**This is a story all about (well you can probably guess who it is about) but before I get started I have a few things to talk about. The first two are about my writing abilities in general. No1 is that (despite my best efforts) I am not very good at spelling or punctuation so expect a fair amount in this piece of work (and any others I do). The other is that I am not very sociable so the interaction and dialogue between characters may seem clunky and unnatural (this likewise applies for any other work of fiction I may attempt).**

**Now for notes on the story itself (which means that these should just apply to this work). This story is all from the perspective of Candace and any direct thoughts of hers will be in italics to indicate_. _Also several events in this work will seem to come out of no-where, this is because Candace is not seeing the whole picture of the story she is in (namely what is happening between Perry and Doofenshmirtz). I will not usually elaborate on what Candace isn't seeing so you can better understand her confusion. However if an explanation of what is going on is vital to understanding the plot (I can think of at least one example of this in the story I have planned out) I will explain what is going on in an Author's note (and therefore not in the actual story). Finally, this story will start out as a series of one-shots (so I can have a good look into Candace's character as it is now) but will develop into a more connected story down the line.**

**Now that the notes are out of the way I can set the scene. This story begins in the summer where the rest of the series (other than the Christmas and Halloween specials) is set (assuming that all the episodes are set in the same summer and that anything that indicates otherwise is an error. It is set after all the episodes that have aired and diverges from cannon at this point (so any episodes released later than the date this note is published will not affect the story).**

**Another final note (I know that's silly but bear with me). When I uploaded this onto all the spaces between the italicised words vanished. I tried to put them all back in but I may have missed a few. At least you were warned.**

—

"Ahhhhh!" screamed Candace as the pod she was standing on turned under her feet while the rocket powered fairground ride rolled down the street.

Soon the pod was spinning freely around under her forcing Candace to run in order to not fall off. _Got __to __run. __Got __to __run._ Looking down she saw the children in the pod who seemed to be having the time of their lives despite the fact that this part of ride obviously wasn't planned ahead of its execution. _What __are __they __so __happy __about?_

While looking down Candace also realised that ground was getting close again and she really needed to get off this group of pods. She looked across at the group of pods that were just leaving the ground, seeming so far away now that the time to jump had arrived. _Come __on __Candace.__You've __done __this __before. __Jump!_

She jumped and landed on the closest pod of the group. However as she landed the pod she had chosen shifted violently, causing her to lose balance and throwing her onto the street below. "Ahhh!" She screamed again (in fact she hadn't stopped screaming since the ride started never mind the part where the top part of the ride had snapped off the tower on which it was situated and started its impromptu journey across Danville) as the ground came towards her.

She landed with a painful bump on the tarmac. _Er. __Well __it __wasn__'__t __the __worst __fall __I__'__ve __had. __Though __it __certainly __wasn__'__t __the __best._ She thought while feeling her side. She raised her head in time to see the circular ride hit a particularly sturdy sign, making it fall onto the jagged stump that had attached it to the rest of today's project, thus ending today's entertainment.

"All right everyone, the ride is over. Please leave in an orderly fashion." The enhanced voice of Phineas announced from his and Ferb's cockpit in the central spire. One by one the riders left their pods (a lot of them looking disappointed that their fun had ended so soon), a few shaken but none of them seemed to be noticeably injured. _How __come __they __get __to __be __so __lucky?_ Candace thought as her side throbbed again.

Just then she noticed her brothers climbing down from the cockpit, like the rest of their contemporaries they seemed unharmed by their recent adventure. _Well, __they__'__re __not __injured __at __least __but __they__'__re __going __to __be __in __so __much __trouble __for __what __they__'__ve __done. _She stomped off down the street towards them pushing through the crowd of kids who were heading home. "Out of my way, people!" she shouted in anger as she found her progress slowed. _I __honestly __don__'__t __have __time __for __this._ She eventually left the crowd at the place where her brothers were inspecting the damage to their ride.

"Looks like we are going to need a sturdier material for our next idea, Ferb." Said Phineas investigating the jagged tear in the metal of the spire in front of him. Beside him, Ferb nodded. _Next __idea. __There __won__'__t __be __a __next __idea, __not __if __I __have __anything __to __do __with __it._ She cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Oh hi Candace," Phineas remarked (as if if everyone involved in the conversation hadn't just been rolling down the street in an unstoppable wheel of doom), "Sorry about starting the ride when you were standing on that pod. I didn't notice you there, though I thought you kept your balance very well." (Candace had been climbing over one of the pods in an attempt to get to a good view central spire to take a picture of Phineas and Ferb when the ride had activated, forcing her to ride the ride while struggling to stand on top of a pod rather than in it.) In hindsight she realised there would probably have been able to get to a place with a good enough view that wouldn't have involved climbing onto the shifting slide, but she had been in such a rush at the time she hadn't been thinking properly. _I __know __differently __for __next __time __now. __No! __No __more __times, __next __or __otherwise, __I__'__m __ending __this __right __now._

"You guys are so busted! Do you think you can just build a giant…a giant…" Her voice trailed off as she realised that she had no idea what she was looking at. The part of the ride she could see (and that was all that mattered as section it had snapped off from had just made it significantly taller) seemed to be a central spire, where her brothers had sat controlling the contraption, with ten mechanical limbs branching off of it like some sort of giant metal spider. At the end of each of the limbs was a group of five enclosed pods where the riders would sit as they were spun around the mechanical arm while the arms spun around the central spire. Attached to each of the pods there were also a pair of rocket boosters (which had thankfully cut off as soon as the top of the ride had snapped off) though Candace doubted any other version of the ride had those additions. "A giant Thing." She finished gesturing to the ride lying in the middle of the road so they would have no doubt as to what she was talking about. _What __is __that __thing, __in __any __case?_

As if he could read her thoughts Phineas replied, "Its a Condor ride. In fact I believe it may be the largest Condor ride in the world. Or, at least it was."

"A Condor ride?" Inquired Candace genuinely confused as to what he was talking about. _Looks __highly b__ustable __whatever __it __is._

"A ride made t first appeared in the 1984 New Orleans world fair, though that one didn't hold as many people as ours nor did it have any rocket boosters on it." Said Ferb as a way of explanation. _Ha, __I __knew __those __were __their __own __additions. __Such __a __typical __thing __for __them __to __add, __and __so b__ustable._

"Yeah, we added those because it was kind of slow without them." Added Phineas, now that Ferb had said all he was going to say for today. _Okay, __I __wanted __to __know __what __it __was __but __that __is __way __more __information __than __I__'__m __interested __in._

"You doofuses. Don't you think that maybe, maybe, the reason your Condor ride split in two was because of the fact that you strapped rockets to it!" Shouted Candace as she realised the likely consequences of her brothers' 'improvements'. _This __is __the __most b__ustable __thing __they__'__ve __ever __done . __When __mom __sees __this __they __will __be __in __so __much __trouble._

"I don't think so. We had Baljeet check our math, the structure should have withstood twice the power that we put on it. To be honest, we don't know what caused it to break off but it was fun though. Ferb, I think from now on that should be part of any ride we make." Ferb nodded his approval to what his stepbrother was saying.

"It doesn't matter how it fell off," replied Candace, incredulous about whether it really hadn't been some sort of fault with her brothers' designs, "Look at the damage it caused."

Phineas looked around himself. "What damage Candace?" he said confusion entering his voice.

_What __damage? __Can__'__t __they __see __the __street?_ She looked around at the strangely undisrupted street she was on. Amazingly the ride had missed everything as it had rolled. _Wow, __what __are __the __chances? __It __doesn__'__t __matter, __the __sign __surely._She looked up at the sign they were standing under, that too did not have a mark on it. "What on…" she began, but then she read what was inscribed on the sign 'Indistructocorp: Makers of the strongest signs on the planet!' _"__Typical.__"_ In fact the only indication of what had just happened was the _Ride __itself. __That__'__s __still __here._

"Ha, you may have got lucky about that, but the ride is still here. And when mom sees that you're going to be so busted." She ran back up the street towards home.

—

She arrived at home out of breath (only slightly though, she always had been a very good runner) having ran the whole way (and having not realised just how far the ride had rolled). _Things __would __be __so __much __simpler __if __I __had __my __own __car. __Speaking __of __cars __there__'__s __mom__'__s.__"_ She thought noticing the car in the drive way _"__She__'__s __back __from __doing __the __shopping. __Excellent, __the __boys __will __be __busted __for __sure._ She composed herself as much as she was able and ran into the house.

Her mom was in the kitchen unpacking the shopping when Candace burst in. "Candace, not one phone call or text about the boys all day. I'm proud of you." (Candace had been planning to call her mom when she had finished taking her picture and actually had her phone out but then the ride had started and she had lost her grip on the phone which had fallen onto her backyard).

Candace grabbed her mom's arm and started to drag her towards the kitchen door. "Yeah, yeah. You're so proud. You must come and see what Phineas and Ferb have done."

Linda sighed, "I should have known better than to get my hopes up. What is it this time?"She put down what she was holding though and began to follow Candace out of the house (albeit with a highly disappointed look on her face).

"It was a giant ride. A Condor Ride I think they called it. Anyway, it had rocket boosters. And then it snapped off. And then it started rolling down the street. And then there was this sign which the ride hit. Though it remained strangely intact. Anyway. You must come and see it." Rambled Candace, too giddy to care about proper sentence structure.

"Another ride, Candace. You should really come up with some fresher ideas, the giant fairground contraptions are getting kind of old." Said Linda, as Candace dragged her out of the front door, obviously not listening to what her daughter was saying. _You __may __laugh __now __mom. __But __you __won__'__t __be __laughing __when __you __see __what __they__'__ve __done. __Then __you__'__ll __see __that __I __was __always __right. __Yes __you __will. __It __won__'__t __be __like __the __last __times. __I __mean __that __ride __is __way __too __big __to __disappear. __Isn__'__t __it?_

Candace left her mom by the drivers side door of the car then eagerly got into the passenger side, while Linda reluctantly got behind the wheel. "Hurry mom. I'll show you the way. It's not that far. Oh, they are so busted."

Linda looked at her bouncing daughter and shook her head. "It's going to be like any other day, isn't it?" Still, she started the car and began to reverse out of the drive.

"No, no its not." _Because __I__'__ve __got __them __this __time. __I __hope__… __Oh, __hurry __mom __before __its __too __late._Linda finished getting out of her drive and began to follow her daughter's escatic directions.

—

"Now, Candace. Where is this giant, rocket powered ride that is lying in the middle of the street again?" Asked Linda indicating the street they were currently looked frantically around, sure that she must have given incorrect directions. She then saw the familiar sign and realised that they were on the street she had been on when she told the boys off. Only this time it was missing the highly bustable ride that she had been meaning to show.

"Bu-bu-bu-but." Stammered Candace, still trying to see if, maybe, it was hiding behind a lamppost or something. _How __did __it __just __vanish? __It __was __so __large._

"I mean Candace, really? Don't you think a giant out of the control ride would cause a little damage?" remarked Linda, once Candace had given up searching in frustration. Just then Phineas and Ferb walked out of a nearby ice cream parlour, licking an ice lolly each. "Oh look there's the boys. Hey, would you like a ride back to the house?" Linda shouted through an open car window. Candace only glowered at them.

"Sure thing mom." Replied Phineas as he and Ferb got into the back seats, obviously being careful not to drip any of the lolly on the seats. "Candace, it sure was nice of you to get mom to come pick us up like this." Said Phineas as Candace turned in her seat to continue to stare accusingly at the two. _What __did __you __do?_

"Okay. What did you do with it?" interrogated Candace as Linda started the car again and began to turn around. _I __swear. __If __I __don__'__t __find __out __what __happened __here__…_

"With what, Candace? Oh the ride." Replied Phineas, seemingly just noticing that there was no longer a massive heap of metal blocking the rode. "We didn't do anything to it Candace." When he was finished Phineas went back to concentrating on not dropping his snack. _Oh, __you __did __some thing __you __little __twerp, __and __when __I __find __out __what __it __was__… __Calm __down, __getting __angry __now __won__'__t __help __matters. __And __he__'__s __probably __telling __the __truth, __they __usually __don__'__t __have __anything __to __do __with __their __inventions __disappearing._ Strangely Candace found the idea that they were innocent much more maddening than if they really had done something spite her.

"I must say dear." Said Linda now that she had finally got the car turned around. "It is nice to be dragged somewhere other than the backyard." _The __backyard, __why __didn__'__t __I __remember __that? __The __rest __of __the __ride. __Not __as __good __as __her __seeing __the __main __part __of __it, __but__surely still __enough __to __get __them __busted._

"Of course mom. To the backyard." Ordered Candace, not remembering (and nor would she care if she had remembered) that they were heading home in any case.

Linda sighed again and began driving back up the road.

—

Linda stopped in the driveway as Candace jumped out and ran to the gate leading to the backyard. "Look mom. Look" She said throwing open the gate while staring intently at her mother. _Why __is __she __moving __so __slowly?_

Her mom eventually arrived and took a good gaze at the view Candace was presenting. She then turned to her beaming daughter. "Candace, I'm tired and again there's nothing here." She then turned to head back into the house. _What?_ thought Candace as she turned around to take in the sight of a normal backyard.

"Bu-bu." _Oh, __stop __it._ Her thoughts interrupted mid stammer. _Why __am __I __even __surprised __anymore? __If __the __top __of __the __ride __had __vanished, __there __was __no-way __the __rest __of __it __would __still __be __here._

By now Linda was in the house and her voice drifted out to Candace, while the latter was still staring forlornly into the backyard. "Now, I know some of you have already had some snacks but I think you could do with some pie now. What do you say?"

"Yeah, that sounds great mom." Replied Phineas, who by now had finished his lolly. Before he followed Ferb into the house though he went over to his sister. "I'm sorry it disappeared sis. I honestly don't know what could have happened to it." Then he to turned to go inside and enjoy some pie. _You__'__re __sorry._ Thought Candace bitterly, _Why __would __you __be __sorry __that __you __didn__'__t __get __busted?_ But her anger faded when her brother disappeared from view. "Oh, there you are Perry." She heard Phineas remark a few seconds after he got into the house.

Candace smiled sadly at that. _Mom __was __right. __This __was __like __any __other __day, __right __down __to __the __catch-phrases. __It __was __stupid __of __me __to __think __that __it __would __turn __out __any __differently._ With a last, longing look at the backyard she began to head in as well. _Well __at __least __now __this __is __all __over __I__'__ll __be __able __to __call __Stacy. __That __should __cheer __me __up. __Oh __wait, __my __phone!_ She turned around again, having just remembered that she had dropped it when the ride had activated.

_Oh __no, __oh __no, __oh __no. __I __can__'__t __afford __to __lose __another __one. __I __don__'__t __know __whether __I__'__ll __be __able __to __get __Phineas __and __Ferb __to __make __me __one __again._ Her panic ended when she saw her phone on the grass. It looked to be in perfect condition. The disposable camera next to it (which she had been trying to take pictures of her brothers on and which had also fallen out of her hand when the ride started) was in distinctly worse shape.

She picked up a part of the shattered camera frame and examined the many cracks and fractures than now lined its surface. She looked down at the film that was lying spilled out onto the backyard and could instantly tell that there was no-way any pictures was going to be extracted from it.

Strangely, after all that had happened today she wasn't shocked or too upset over the latest development. After all she had anticipated that this would happen and made proper damage control. She then picked up her phone to see whether her intuition was right. As compared its intact structure, and from holding it she was sure it was intact, to the pieces of camera scattered below her she realised that she had done the right thing. _Amazing. __Oh __well, __it__'__s __better __to __lose __a __cheap __five __dollar __camera __than __a __phone. __I__'__ll __definitely __be __using __disposable __cameras __from __now __on._

Then, much happier than she had been a few minutes ago because of her victory over the Universe, she turned around to go and enjoy whatever snacks her mom was preparing and to afterwards call Stacey to tell her that the new plan had worked out. _So, today was different after-all. __A __couple __more __ingenious __insights __like __this __and __I__'__ll __have __them __busted __for __sure,_ was the last thing she thought as she entered the house.


	2. How to see the past

**So here is the second chapter of my story. It is very much like the first but there are a few things that I wanted to do in this chapter. Don't worry, the next chapter will be very different. Likewise, this will probably be my last straight up Candace tried to bust her brothers chapter for a while. I have several other common situations that I wish to view from Candace's perspective. And after that the plot will begin (though that may contain more chapters like this, you'll just have to wait and see).**

**Also I decided to get rid of the speech marks around the italics as they were messy, apart from when they seemed appropriate as you will see. I edited the previous chapter this way as well (that is all I've changed, though it lowered the word-count, so no-one needs to reread it).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Phineas and Ferb, Disney does.**

**Edit: No need to reread, just one very minor change in dialogue to fit with canon slightly better.**

—

"Oh, thank you Jeremy. And yes, the dress was picked specially for tonight."

"_Candace, __I __don__'__t __know __why __you __bother __spending __money __on __such __unnecessary __frivolities. __You __are __the __most __radiantly __beautiful __woman __I__'__ve __ever __seen __no __matter __what __you __wear!__"_ passionately exclaimed the pictures of Jeremy that Candace was sticking into her second Jeremy Scrapbook (the first five hundred page epic was already filled up and was currently sitting in a place of honour on her shelf).

"Why Jeremy, you are too kind. And I must say you look very cute yourself." She smiled to herself, thought a part of her wondered whether she did deserve the compliments Jeremy was paying her, as she stuck another picture of him in the Tuesday section of the book (she had divided the book into sections corresponding to the day she took the photo. She had originally considered sorting it according to what he was wearing but then realised that he only seemed to wear two sets of cloths which would have made that arrangement pointless).

"_Candace __no. __Don__'__t __insult __yourself __by __ever __considering __that __I __could __compare __in __looks __to __you.__"_ Sputtered the photos urgently, falling over themselves in the attempt to get the feelings they were experiencing out.

"Okay, that was a bit much. But go on." Candace really liked where this conversation was going.

"_I __just __can__'__t __hold __it __in __any more. __I __love __you __Candace. __I __always __have __and __I __always __will. __Candace __Gertrude _(Candace grimaced when the photos said that but made no move to stop them) _Flynn __will __you __marry __me __and __make __me __the __happiest __man __imaginable?__" _As they said the most wonderful of words the pictures looked at her hopefully, though they surely already knew the answer that was coming.

"Yes Jeremy! A thousand times yes!" Candace shouted in return (Linda was at her cooking class and Lawrence was out minding the antique store otherwise they would have had several choice words to say to Candace about the amount of noise she was making). Rapturous Candace reached for another photo to stick in. Her hand came up empty and she closed the book with a sigh. The fantasy was over.

_If__only._ She thought despondently as she lay on the bed. _Well, __he __is __my __boyfriend __now. __It __will __happen __someday._ She tried to console herself but it was in vain. _But __when. __It __took __so __long __for __us __to __even __be __officially __going __out. __Who __knows __how __much __time __will __pass __before __he __finally __proposes? I hope it will be just after we both graduate from collage but it could be much later than that at this rate. __Or,_ she grew slightly fearful as her mind went to darker matters, _whether __he __will __even __do __so __at __all?_

Eager to move away from the horrifying thought of Jeremy leaving her, her mind switched to her other obsession and she noticed that there were no noises coming from the backyard. _Isn__'__t __it __past __time __for __Phineas __and __Ferb __to __have __done __something __bustable._ She glanced at her bedside clock and saw that, as it was ten-thirty, indeed her brothers should have been making something a long time before.

Closing the scrapbook and leaving it on the bed she went to her window just to be sure but saw that, sure enough, there was no big contraption, nor children even, on the grass outside. _Huh, __maybe __they __decided __to __take __the __day __off. __That __gives __me __time __to __get __a __few __more __photos __of __Jeremy __so __we __can __continue __our __conversation __where __we __left __off._ However just before she picked up her phone to do just that (no need for a disposable camera for this job) another thought chimed in. _No. __I__'__ve __been __tricked __like __this __before. __They__'__ll __seem __to __be __doing __something __nice __and __normal __but __then __as __soon __as __I__'__ve __turned __my __back __on __them __they__'__ll __do __something __crazy __like __take __over __a __parade __or __create __virtual __reality. __I __better __go __down __and __check._ So, in the end she did pick up her phone but for completely different reasons than those she had set off to achieve (she knew Linda hated being called when in her cooking class but also knew that if she managed to bust her brothers because of such a call that she'd be instantly forgiven).

Before she left her room, however, she made sure to pick up one of the disposable cameras that were in a small heap on the dresser (she had eleven of them now and bought more as often as she could). She did feel a small pang of guilt while doing so. Though she loved the fact that this new arrangement meant that she was no longer losing important, and expensive, pieces of property, she hated the pessimism it represented. It was like she knew that this time, just like all the other times previously, any evidence she got will be destroyed.

_It's __just __a __precaution. __That__'__s __all __it __is. __It's __just __in __case, __and __this __won__'__t __happen __I__'__m __sure __of __it, __just __in __case __what __has __happened __a __thousand __times __before __magically __happens __again __somehow._ Unsurprisingly, such thoughts failed to make her feel much better as she left her room and proceeded down the stairs.

She found her brothers at the door to the kitchen with Isabella, Buford and Baljeet. A pair of tinted glasses was being passed between them and whoever wore them seemed to be staring into the unoccupied room with looks of amazement. They were too caught up in what they were looking at to notice her standing there. _I __knew __it. __This __is __not __normal. __I __bet __whatever __those __glasses __really __are __will __be __so __bustable._ Amid her irritation that her brothers were again doing something weird, which was mixed with a slight amount of satisfaction at being right about their activities, a more pleasant thought occurred _Well, __if __this __is __what __they__'__ve __built __today __I __can __take __it __to __mom __directly. __No __need __to __take __a __photo __this __time._ The thought was reassuring as, despite their cheapness, constantly buying new disposable cameras was cutting into her allowance heavily. _If __they__'__re __not __proper __glasses __though, __what __are __they?_

Eager to find out she snatched the, presumably, pseudo-glasses out of Baljeet's hands. "Hey," cried Baljeet in annoyance, "It was my turn." Buford, who as usual was standing next to him, looked rather happy at his friend's annoyance.

"It is my house, it should be my turn whenever I want it to be." Said Candace as way of explanation. She felt slightly better at being able to prove a measure of superiority over one of her brothers' friends, the fact that it was such a shallow claim only diminished the pleasure she derived by a small amount.

"Sure Candace." Said Phineas, who seemed to be nonchalant, as usual, to his sister's rudeness (which always made Candace feel slightly suspicious but she did like it all the same), "Though they may look like glasses they're really…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see for myself." Interrupted Candace impatiently as she put the glasses over her own eyes. _I __do __have __my __own __eyes, __Phineas._ She thought bitterly as she tried to tell what she was looking. In actual fact, it was quite easy to tell what she was currently seeing. It was what she had been viewing before she put on the glasses, the empty kitchen. _What__'__s __so __amazing __about __this?_

"Okay, this is lame." As she looked harder at the kitchen to work out what was so special about what she was seeing a happier thought occurred to her. _And __not __that __bustable __either. __Maybe __I __do __have __the __day __off __after __all. __Hey, __maybe __they __decided __to __stop __doing __their __obnoxiously __awesome __projects __all __together. __No, __that__'__s __just __wishful __thinking, __I __would __never __be __that __lucky._ Coming to the conclusion that her brothers and their friends were just being childish she turned to Baljeet said "Yeah, you can have your turn with the stupid glasses. I have more important things to be doing than staring into an empty room." As she reached to take the glasses off she noticed her mom come into the kitchen holding a bad of shopping (she hadn't noticed before but there were several other bags of shopping already on the countertop). _Great, __the __day __the __boys __aren__'__t __doing __anything __bustable __is __the __day __she__…_"Wait! What?" When the glasses were removed Linda, and all the bags of shopping in the room, had instantly disappeared.

She put the glasses over her eyes again. When she did so she heard Baljeet give a sigh of displeasure while Buford laughed. She ignored that as she watched Linda unpack the shopping through the lens of the glasses. However, again, when she took the glasses off Linda was gone once more. She began to rapidly take them on and off again, watching as her mother appeared and disappeared, until she began to feel slightly motion sick from the image changing so often. _I __should __probably __stop __doing __that._ She stopped and let and glasses rest on her nose. She then turned to Phineas, who she now realised she couldn't see while wearing the glasses (she couldn't see the rest of the people in the room either).

"Phineas, what are these?" she asked accusingly, more angry at the fact that she had been made to look foolish again than at the fact that her brothers had likely done yet another bustable offence, to the space in front of her where she assumed Phineas was. _Looks __like __I __really __won__'__t __be __updating __the __Jeremy S__crapbook __today._

"That's what I was going to tell you Candace." Came Phineas' disembodied voice out the air _Okay, __that__'__s __slightly __creepy._ "They're glasses that let you see back in time. What you are currently seeing is what happened in the kitchen in the past. Pretty cool, huh." _Well, __that __would __explain __what __I__'__m __seeing. After all, m__om __wouldn__'__t __bring __home __groceries __from __her __cooking __class. __This __must __be __images __from __an __earlier __shopping __trip._ While feeling satisfied that she had managed to work out what was going on, albeit with a little help from her brother, another thought occurred to her.

"Wait, so you have the ability to see the past. The entire past… And you decide to watch mom unpack the shopping. Why?" _My __brothers, __and __their __friends, __are __even __weirder __than __I __thought. __They __could __watch __this __twice __a __week, __just __by __watching __our __real __mom __unpack __bags, __if __they __wanted __to._

"No we didn't." Said Phineas, slightly confused before suddenly getting more confident. "You must have hit the time dial when you picked them up." _A__dial,__huh._ She began to feel the side of the glasses for it, while the conversation continued among the rest of them.

"Picked up, you mean when she snatched them out of my hands." Complained Baljeet.

"Oh, give it a rest nerd." Replied Buford.

"That's easy for you to say. You already had your turn." Said Baljeet again, prompting another quick laugh from Buford.

Candace, who had been ignoring the conversation while she tried in vain to find the supposed dial, eventually gave up and said in frustration. "What dial are you talking about?" _They __better __not __be __messing __with __me._

Before she could properly consider just how weird it would be for Phineas to be 'messing' with her. Isabella replied, "Here Candace, I'll show you." and took the glasses off Candace's face to point to the small wheel that was in the frame. "You just turn the wheel and it will adjust how far back in time you are seeing."

Candace, annoyed that she had been made to look foolish by a girl several years her junior, testily replied, "I could have found that." _But __seriously __though, __how __did __I __not __find __that?_ She asked herself, slightly worried about the fact that she had missed the obvious. Made even more angry her own considerations of her ineptness she took the glasses back from Isabella and put them over her eyes again.

She absentmindedly started fiddling with the wheel and watched various days happen before her in fast motion, both forward and backward as she fiddled with the wheel. A lot of the time the only thing she saw was her mom doing stuff in the kitchen. She also noticed that often the vision of her mom in the kitchen ended with herself coming and dragging her mom off in another one of her failed attempts to bust her brothers. _It __will __be __different __this __time. __I __can __hold __on to __these, __make __sure __that __they __aren__'__t __got __rid __of. __And __I __also __can, __I __also __can__…_

She was vaguely aware that the conversation between her brothers and their friends had been continuing while she was thinking. However she was too caught up in the idea that she having to hear what was actually being said. "Hee-hee-hee-hee." She laughed as the finished her mental plan. _It__'__ll __work. __It__'__ll __work._

She turned around and began to run to the backyard to see if her suspicions were correct. "Candace look…" She heard Phineas shout. But before he could finish, and before Candace could begin to react to what was being said, she tripped over an invisible object, which felt like a small table, on the living room floor. She was sent sprawling, and she heard a familiar scream leave her lips for a moment, by the unexpected collision and when she hit the floor the should a horrible, yet familiar, crunching sound. _That __better __not __be __the __disposable __camera. __I __was __hoping __that __I __didn__'__t__lose __one __today._

"Are you okay?" asked Isabella, though from where she was on the floor Candace couldn't see where Isabella was. _That__'__s __sweet._ Candace thought, she considered Isabella to be her favourite of her brothers' friends, before deciding that she better check before answering.

"Candace turned herself off her back and as she did so she felt that she wasn't really injured at all. _One __of __my __better __falls, __that._"I'm okay." She reassured them _No __thanks __to __your __late __warning __Phineas._ "What just happened?" She asked while making sure that she hadn't been hurt that much. _Yeah, __the __pain __has __already __vanished. __I__'__m __fine._

"Candace I tried to warn you. Dad moved the side-table yesterday." Came Phineas' voice. Candace got herself into a sitting position but couldn't see Phineas, or any of the other children, anywhere. _What __on__… __Oh._ She thought as she, very belatedly, realised that in her haste to get to the backyard she had forgotten to take off the glasses, they'd also amazingly managed to stay on her face when she fell, and that she was still looking at events from several days ago.

When she did remove the glasses she saw that her brothers and their friends were crowding around her with slightly worried expressions on their faces, even Buford but she didn't want to think to deeply into what that might mean. The expression soon left their faces when they realised that she really was fine. _That __sympathy __didn__'__t __last __long, __did __it?_ She ignored the offered hand from Ferb and got to her feet herself _I __don__'__t __need __any-ones __help __getting __up. _She thought bitterly, more from annoyance at having fallen than from feeling actually insulted by the offer.

She looked down and, now that the glasses were in her hands rather than over her eyes, saw the small table she had unceremoniously tripped over in her haste. It seemed undamaged by its fall, luckily there had been nothing on it so no objects, other than herself, had gone flying across the room. _Good. __Good._ She thought and quickly righting the table, where she was relieved that she heard no ominous sounds and that it stood straight, she began to head towards the backyard again, though more slowly this time and with the glasses in her hands.

However as she took a few steps she heard a scraping sound and when she looked down she saw, like her previous fear said she would see, that the disposable camera hanging by her side (which is where it had been seen she had come downstair) was broken. "Oh. I hoped I wouldn't have to lose one today." Said Candace, the excitement of her new plan vocalising her internal thoughts. But ignoring it, and the confused looks of the other occupants of the room's faces as they tried to work out what had just been said, she headed towards the door into the backyard.

When she got to the backyard, put the glasses back on, only doing so when she had completely stopped moving, and started turning the wheel she saw that her plan would work. Flashing before her eyes was a montage of her brothers' big ideas. "They're all here. The giant Ferris wheel, the copy of Niagara Falls, the ski-slope made out of beans. Even a giant floating baby head. Oh, I can't wait to show mom this." Candace stopped when she realised that she had been talking aloud in her excitement. Removing the glasses she looked down at the others to see what they're reaction to what she said would be. _I __have __a __feeling __I __know __though._

Presently Phineas exclaimed. "What an excellent idea Candace. You know it always upset me that mom never gets to see any of our projects and now she will." The other children all nodded in agreement. _Just __what __I __thought __it __would __be._ Phineas' and Ferb's willingness to get busted never ceased to amaze her but she had enough evidence to be certain, relatively sure, more than fifty percent at least, that her brothers weren't the ones making the inventions disappear before her mom saw them. _Anyway, __even __if __this __doesn__'__t __work. __I __always __have __the__… __No, __this __will __work. __This __will __definitely __work._

"Great, I'll call mom so she can come home and see right now." Said Candace as she pulled out her phone to call Linda but found that her mom had turned off her phone. _"__It __is __that __chef __with __the __meat __tenderiser__'__s __fault. __Oh, __what __was __his __number __again?_ However to her disappointment, and slight shock as it meant that the chef was being slightly less hypocritical, he too had turned his phone off. Candace had therefore no-way to contact her parent till the class was over (Linda had deliberately not told Candace where the class was because she didn't want Candace 'tracking her down') _I __knew __I __should __have __got __the __class's __location __when __I __found __out __the __chef__'__s __number._ Thought Candace with some self-reproach.

Phineas, who seemed to have been in a conversation with his friends while Candace tried to call their mom (Candace was again too distracted to notice what was actually being said), finally noticed that Candace obviously hadn't got through to her and asked, "Couldn't get her Candace?" Candace nodded in reply. "That's okay. The class ends in a couple of hours and she can see them when she gets back." _Perfect.. __And __that __means __that __I__'__ll __have __to __stick __around __you __and __your __nerdy __friends __for __the __next __few __hours __to __make __sure __you __don__'__t __do __anything __else __bustable. __That__'__s __just __what __my __reputation __needs._ Despite such thoughts she resigned herself to her fate.

"Can I have my turn now?" Asked the persistent Baljeet. _Still __going __on __about __your __precious __turn __are __you?_ thought Candace with some disdain. _You __wouldn__'__t __catch __me __becoming __obsessed __with __some__…_ She stopped that thought when she realised what she was thinking.

"No. I'm going to keep them till mom gets home." _Just __in __case __any __of __you __do __try __to __do __anything __to __stop __mom __seeing __them._ Baljeet answered Candace's harsh reply with a sad look which began to make her feel guilty. "Okay. Okay." She conceded, "You can have your turn. But I'm not going to let them out of my sight and I want them back as soon as my mom gets back. Okay?"

Baljeet nodded so Candace, with a slight bit of reluctance now that she was actually doing it, handed the glasses to him, which he accepted eagerly. She also noticed that Buford looked a tad disappointed about the fact that his friend would actually get his turn. _I __swear, __I__'__m __too __nice __for __my __own __good. __But __I __will __keep __my __eye __on __them __I __can __make __sure __nothing __happens._

As Baljeet began to look around in amazement at what he was seeing Candace began to hear musical notes in the air. _Oh __great._ she thought sarcastically,_A __song. __Just __what __I __needed._

—

Eventually, she heard the sound of Linda pulling up in the drive. _Finally, __this __is __over. __Though __the __song __wasn__'__t __that __bad. __I __think __whatever __does __the __singing __is __improving. __Maybe __it __is __taking __a __few __lessons._Despite such thoughts she was still glad it was over, as she was sure that she had seen a few of her peers watching her. "Phineas, mom's here. Now hand me the glasses."She shouted at her brothers' and their friends, who were looking at the tree at the moment. _Good __thing __we __were __back __in __the __backyard __when __mom __came __home._ (Her brothers and their peers had, as usual, done a small tour of Danville to properly test out their new invention. A tour which had only finished a few minutes before Linda got back).

Isabella, who had been using the glasses when Candace had shouted, came over and gave them to her. "Here you go Candace." Candace took them for her and put them on, anxious to find out if her brothers had tampered with them. _I __swear, __if __they __have__…_ However her fears were in vain as when she put them on, one of her brothers' old big ideas was staring her in the face, in matter of fact she seemed to be inside the contraption which made her feel slightly weird. _Excellent. __This __is __all __going __to __plan._

Eager to show Linda Candace raced off towards the gate and almost immediately fell over something lying on the grass. _Idiot, __Candace. __Why __don__'__t __I __remember __to __take __off __the __glasses?_ After correcting her mistake she got to her feet and bounded off again before any one else there had time to react.

When she did get to the drive she found that her mom had already gone inside. As such she ran into the hallway, where her mom was taking off her shoes. "Hello, Candace. I missed a phone-call today. I assume that was from you." Was Linda's way of greeting her daughter.

"Yes. Yes, it was." Was Candace's reply. _And __if __you __had __kept __your __phone __on __I __would __have __been __able __to __bust __my __brothers __early __in __the __day __and __then __spend __the __rest __of __the __time __with __Jeremy._ Deciding to not give words to those thoughts she just grabbed her mom's arm and dragged her towards the backdoor, Linda was in the process of getting a shoe off when Candace performed this manoeuvre so was forced to hop a part of the way there. "But it doesn't matter. You can still see them now." _You __can __see __all __of __them, __at __any __time._ Candace thought with no small amount of glee.

They reached the backdoor and Candace pulled Linda out into the backyard. "Here put these on." Said Candace thrusting the glasses into her mom's hand. "Then you'll see. Yes, you'll see it all." She looked at her brothers and their friends who were watching expectantly from nearby. _They __don__'__t __realise __how __badly __this __will __go __for __them, __do __they? __It __doesn__'__t __matter, __soon __I__'__ll __be __finally __vindicated. __I __will __be __vindicated, __right? __I __checked __the __glasses __beforehand, __there__'__s __no-way __mom __can __fail __to __see __it. __Oh, __why __hasn__'__t __she __said __anything __yet?_

Linda, as Candace had realised, had put on the glasses a while beforehand but not commented, finally spoke up. "Candace, I'm not seeing anything. Where did you get these in any-case?" Linda removed that glasses and began to inspect them.

"No, no, no, no." Shouted Candace and she snatched the glasses of her mom, who went back inside as soon as the glasses were out of her hands, as she headed in Candace thought she heard Linda complain about damaged socks but she didn't concentrate enough to know whether that really was what was happening. Candace put on the glasses herself and, like her mother had professed, all she could see was darkness. _Not __again, __not __again. __Why __does __this __keep __happening __to __me? __It__'__s __like__…__._ "Oh."

In her panic she had walked forward slightly and suddenly before her was the backyard, complete with Phineas' and Ferb's Automatic Pasta Launcher, she suspected that the boys had been eating a bit too many sugary snacks that day. _Then __why __couldn__'__t __we __see __anything __from __the __doorway?_ She turned around and saw a tarp right behind her (As this was before Ferb could make the whole house go into the ground her brothers had kept the house tidy by covering it in a large tarp that day). _We __must __have __been __looking __at __that. __No, __matter. __I__'__ll __just __make __sure __she __stands __here __this __time._ She thought as she took off glasses and began to shout. "Mom, mom. Come out here again."

Linda, who had got her slippers on in the meantime so seemed less irritable this time, came out in good fashion. "Yes, Candace." She then noticed the other people in the backyard, whom looked like they had been talking among themselves while they waited for the delayed big reveal. "Hi," Linda greeted them, "Do you lot want a snack once Candace has finished here." She was answered by a chorus of affirmatives, plus Ferb nodding. _I__'__m __pretty __sure __you__'__ll __take __back __that __offer __once __you __see __this __mom_

"Put these on, again, mom. You'll see more this time." She said handing Linda the glasses again, who accepted them without a word though she did seem disappointed would try the same tactic so soon after the last time it was used. Yet again Candace became giddy with excitement. _Soon. __Soon._ Before a much more pessimistic thought popped into her head which instantly damped her mood. _Who __am __I __kidding? __She __won__'__t __see __it. __Just __like __all __the __other __times __before __this. __And __she__'__ll __think __I__'__m __crazy, __though __I __doubt __she __can __think __of __me __as __any __more __crazy __than __she __does __already._

Her expectations were validated when Linda said, "Candace, I'm still not seeing anything. Can we give it a rest for today, please?" Candace wearily nodded and Linda handed back the glasses. Candace put the glasses on to check, though she knew that if her mom saw nothing there was no-way she would see anything, and saw pitch blackness. Even when she turned the dial nothing appeared, the glasses were well and truly broken.

As she was doing her testing she heard her mom shout out, "Now, I believed I offered people snacks." Candace took off the glasses to watch her brothers and their friends go into the house, they seemed more saddened by these turn of events than she was. _I did see this coming, after all, and I __may __have __failed __this __time, __again. __But __I __always __have __tomorrow, __and __the __day __after, __and __the __day __after, __and __the __day __after. __And __though __it __would __have __been __nice __to __show __mom __all __the __previous __inventions __this __way, __there__'__s __more __than __one __way __I __can __remind __mom __of __all __the __stuff __the __boys __have __done. __The __only __thing __I __really __don__'__t __like __is __the __fact __that __I __lost __another __camera._ (she had put the destroyed disposable camera in a bin during the the city tour) _I __guess __the __Universe __doesn__'__t __want __me __being __too __clever._

Despite these thoughts however she still wanted answers so she moved to stop her brothers from entering the house, they were entering last. "Hey, what happened?" Her voice was a little accusing when she asked that question. After all thought she was quite sure that they had nothing to do with it, _I __was __holding __the __glasses __after __all,_ she couldn't be certain. Even if they hadn't done anything they were still the best people to ask. She handed Phineas the glasses so that he could see what she meant.

Phineas put the glasses on, fiddling with the dial like Candace did, before answering. "I don't know Candace. It certainly is weird though."_Weird, __surely __you __have __more __than __just __weird._ Phineas handed the glasses to his brother and said, "Here Ferb, do you have any ideas?"

Ferb put the glasses on and shook his head. _Perfect._ He then added, "I did see a flash of green light when you were calling for mom though." Candace concluded that that piece of information had to be crucial for what happened. After all Ferb had deemed it important enough to mention. _But __it __still __doesn__'__t __tell __me __why __the __glasses __broke._

"Oh, well." Said Phineas, clearly giving up on ever solving that conundrum. "It was fun while it lasted. But I'm sure that whatever we do tomorrow will be ten times as fun." Candace was less than pleased at the thought of having to spend tomorrow trying to bust her brothers as well. Currently however, she was more concerned at her brothers' nonchalance towards the bizarre circumstances that happened in their lives.

"Why do you never question any of the things that happen to your inventions?" Asked Candace, with some exasperation entering her voice. _It__'__s__l ike __the __broccoli __incident __all __over __again._

"We just don't, Candace." Replied Phineas, an answer which did nothing to calm her down. "Just like we don't question why the Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated building explodes on a regular basis. Some things are just meant to remain mysteries." This made Candace think, and she realised that that building did seem to explode a lot, though she did doubt whether it happened as often as her brother was implying.

"Is it really so regular?" Asked Candace, her curiosity piqued by her brother's observation. _Man, __I __hope __no-one __gets __hurt __in __all __those __explosions._

"Oh, yeah." Replied Phineas. "Ferb sets his watch by it." Phineas gestured towards his brother who was now holding a very large ornate pocket watch, that Candace had never seen before, in his hands. _Where __did __that __come __from?_

Just then a familiar rumble came through the air. _There __it __goes __again. __A __bit __coincidental __that __it __should __blow __up __now __though._ "On schedule Ferb?" Asked Phineas, in reply his stepbrother opened the watch and nodded. _Apparently __it __is __that __regular._ "Come on Candace." Added Phineas, "Let's get some of those snacks before Buford eats them all." He and Ferb turned and resumed their walk into the house, the latter of which she noticed was no longer holding the watch he had been carrying moments before. _I __doubt __I__'__ll __see __that __again._ Still mulling what had just been discussed over, Candace followed them inside.

—

It was nearly bedtime and Candace was in her bedroom. It was after snacks, tea (where Phineas talked, as usual, about the amazing things he had done today while Linda complimented their imagination and Lawrence smiled and agreed) and the obligatory phone call to Stacey that she made whenever she failed to bust her brothers, which admittedly was every day. _Okay, __time __for __an __update, __I __think._

She went to the chest under the windowsill, took off the cushions and opened it. No-one but Linda and Candace knew that this was a chest, she hoped, as such it was where she kept all most secret things.

On the top of pile was her Ducky Momo collection (even though the secret of her love for the show was out she still felt embarrassed by it. Though she tried on a few occasions to be more open about it, it hadn't felt right to her). She gingerly removed the collectables, being especially careful with the misprinted plate as it had took her ages to glue it back together last time, and put them on the floor.

All except her Ducky Momo plush which she hugged to her tightly to her chest instead. "I failed again, Ducky Momo," she whispered into its ear, "But I'll bust them next time, you'll see." She then put the plush on her lap, "Now, you sit here and make sure that I don't make any mistakes, okay?" She knew that he would be fine with that. _He __would __be,_ _Ducky __Momo __is __my __friend._

When she was sure that her friend was not going to fall over she reached back into the chest and brought out the book. While lots of people knew about her Jeremy Scrapbook, including Jeremy to Candace's annoyance, no-one knew about this one.

It was called the Busting Book and it was a record of all the crazy things that her brothers did this summer (she had started it a few weeks into summer when she began to struggle to recall all that had happened). Each entry included a description of the invention, a very rough sketch of it and what occurred to make sure her mom didn't see it. It was not enough to get her brothers busted on its own. But it meant that if it happened, _when __it __happened, __when __it __happened,_ she would be able to remind Linda of all the times she doubted her. The reason why it was a secret was because it was safer this way. Hopefully whatever was keeping her from busting her brothers would leave it alone if no-one else saw it, it seemed to have worked so far. _Anyway, __if __I __show __it __to __mom __without __anything __concrete __to __back __it __up __she__'__ll __just __think __even __worse __of __me. __No, __better __to __keep __it __secret._

She unattached the pencil that was strapped to it so she could make today's addition. "See Ducky Momo," she said as she flicked through the filled pages, "this is why what happened today doesn't really matter. There's more than one way to view the past, see." She got to the next empty page, _looks __like __I__'__ll __need __a __new __book __soon,_ (in fact this was the fourth Busting Book. All of the previous editions were filled from cover to cover and also lying in the chest) and began to write.

—

**So, the songs actually happen in this fan fiction. People just don't really talk about them much (they accept them as being a normal part of their world). Also, if someone is singing a duet, or an ensemble piece, with people who aren't there on the scene (such as 'Busted' and 'With these Blueprints') the different parts just get a feeling that someone is singing alongside them but they don't know who, what or why (for instance Candace doesn't know about Vanessa wanting to bust her father from the song 'Busted'). I will expand on this later, don't worry.**

**However, I am a worse song writer than I am a writer of fan fiction (I admit that I've never really tried but my attempts to write limericks didn't go well so I'm taking that as a bad sign). As such I won't be writing any original songs (though I will be repeating old songs if I feel the plot requires it). This means that though original songs will happen they will never be 'on screen' as it were (I know this is a massive violation of show, don't tell but I think it is justified this time).**

**Finally, I'm wondering two things. One, why is this website adding a large number of words to my word-count (I'm talking about thousands of extra words here)? Also, how do I stop it from getting rid of all the space between the italicised words? It is getting annoying to have to go through my work again to put them back.**


	3. Do You Like the Gun on the Wall

**And now for something completely different.**

**—**

"Now Perry the Platypus, prepare to face to witness the might of my shoelaceinator. With it I will tie together everyone's shoelaces. Meaning that no-one will be able to able to walk without tripping over. With everyone immobilised I'll be able to take over the World!" Doofenshmirtz's voice echoed through the rocky corridor that Candace was creeping along.

She couldn't remember how she got here, or where she got the strangely tasteless beef jerky from that she was currently eating, but she knew she had to get away. She had to get away before the monster was released. She wanted to run but she knew that that could attract attention so she continued to slowly make her way along as water dripped from the ceiling. _When will this corridor end? _She thought in exasperation but she knew that there must be an end ahead, a lift or _stairs. Yes, even if there is no lift there will be stairs I know it. And when I find the stairs I'll be gone in no time at all_

"It's working! It's working! It is functioning properly." Came the voice of the mad pharmacist again, seemingly closer this time. _Am I heading in the wrong direction._ Thought Candace in a panic. But really it was so hard to tell, the voice bounced off the walls so much it seemed to come from everywhere at once. _No,_ she reassured herself, _I can't be. Even if I was though I've travelled too far to turn back now though. I'm nearly at the end, I must push forward._ But even as she thought the words a part of her doubted their validity.

Finally she spied the end of the corridor. At the end was a door set in the rough walls. A door that must lead to the stairs, _and then to freedom._ In her excitement she ran towards it, all thought of stealth and reason thrown aside, along with the rest of the beef jerky, by the sheer joy of the fact that her journey would finally be over. She reached the door, which actually seemed to moving towards her as she moved towards it, and wrenched it open in triumph.

And realised her horrid mistake. Before her was not an exit but rather the very thing from which she had been trying to flee. She was standing on the roof of the building, _no, not the roof the penthouse. The roof has been folded back like a car's,_ and before her stood Heinz Doofenshmirtz eating a muffin and laughing maniacally while looking at Danville below through a pair of binoculars. Besides him stood a weird contraption, she assumed that it was the 'shoelaceinator' that was shooting out green energy at the city below. Suddenly Doofenshmirtz spoke, Candace nearly screamed before she realised that he hadn't noticed her, "Be careful now. Oops. Isn't it funny Perry the Platypus? He tried to move but didn't realise his shoelaces were tied together. " He laughed again before adding, "It's probably only funny if you actually see it, oh well." before going back to scanning the scene below, luckily for Candace he hadn't turned away from the view at any point during that observation.

She was about to turn and leave, knowing that going back down the corridor must lead to escape, when she noticed him. Perry, wearing his cute little secret agent hat, tied up by rope on the floor next to the shoelaceinator. She found that she couldn't leave him there. _All right. I'll sneak over there while Doofenshmirtz is distracted and free him. Then I'll get out of here._ It seemed like a good enough plan so she began making her way over to the semi-aquatic mammal.

She was halfway over to Perry when Doofenshmirtz turned around and noticed her. "Oh look," he said, not at all surprised, "the sea hag is here. Well no matter, you won't ruin my plans this time." _He was expecting me._ Candace realised with dread. "Say hello to Susan!" He shouted with glee, pressing a button on a controller that had suddenly appeared in his hand, the muffin he had been holding had been eaten a long time ago.

"No!" Screamed Candace out loud, there was no point in stealth anymore and she was too scared to care about it in any-case. The fears had been correct. _The monster is coming,_ she thought as terror washed over her. She suddenly rushed to free Perry, while hearing the floor beside her creak open, knowing that if anything could stop the monster it was him.

Though he had seemed so close before reaching the platypus seemed to take forever and before she reached him the floor had opened and a massive cage had risen up out of the pit underneath. Candace stopped running and froze as she beheld what awaited her inside. _It's more horrible than I ever imagined._

The thing inside was shaped like a massive cube and was covered in blond hair. However it wasn't its giant proportions that scared her, rather it was the thing's face. It was the face of a little girl with blue eyes and a pug nose, it was a face that seemed very familiar to Candace though she was too scared to remember where she'd seen it before. The monster opened its massive mouth and roared, "I am and always will be Jeremy's favourite girl!"

_Now that's just disturbing._ Thought a part of Candace's mind that seemed to know what was going on a lot more than the rest of it. However that part was drowned out by the rest of her mind which was screaming. In the mean time she was rooted to the spot in stunned silence as the monster regarded her with cold eyes.

"How about you two get properly acquainted," said Doofenshmirtz as she heard a crank being slowly turned as the door of the cage crept open. After a while, as the operation seemed to be taking hundreds of years, the mad pharmacist added, "why did I get the crank? I mean I love a good crank as much as the next guy. But I am on a schedule here. I have people to destroy, dates to go on. Oh well, cranky cranky cranky."

While he had been monologuing Candace had got back some of her senses and looked back at where she had been originally heading, desperate to free Perry before the cage finished opening. However when she looked the platypus had vanished. _What? where did he go?_ She thought as she looked around desperately but failed to see him. The monster made a high pitch giggle partly because of Candace's confusion and partly because the door of the cage was suddenly a lot more open than it had been before.

Realising that she didn't have much time left she decided to get out of there. _If Perry escaped from that trap it means that he can get out on his own. Anyway the monster won't be able to fit down the corridor, will it?_ She had the horrid thought that it would be able to, with ease in fact, but still she turned towards the place where she knew the door had been.

The door was gone, like Perry. It had disappeared leaving only a blank cave wall where it had been before. Before she had even time to be confused though she heard a massive boom behind her, a scream of "Nooooo!" and the sound of running feet. Right after those sounds the crank started moving a lot quicker.

Fearful that her time was up Candace turned back to the cage to witness, not the door opening, as she had expected, but the door slamming shut with a clang that reverberated around the open room. Candace waited with bated breath, knowing that the door would fall open and that the monster would be let out in any case. _Any moment now. Any moment now._ She thought with trepidation. However that development never happened, the cage remained just as strong as it had been before while the monster roared ineffectually behind its metal bars.

As she came to terms with the fact that she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger now she turned from the bellowing monster to see what had happened that would give her such a respite. Where the shoelaceinator had once stood there was only a charred crater. _Looks like the pharmacist is still putting on those self-destruct buttons,_ she realised with some amusement. However what was much more interesting was the fact that Doofenshmirtz and Perry were brawling behind the hole that used to contain the -inator, dangerously close to the sheer drop to the streets below, and that the platypus seemed to be winning. Working out that there was nothing she could do to help, and not wanting to get involved in any case, Candace continued to try to find a way out.

All of a sudden a giant man in a suit with the head of a bull came running by. "We should get acquainted some time," it intoned in a mechanical yet cheerful way before running down an opening that had appeared in the wall. _At last, an exit._ Thought Candace with relief as she started to follow the smartly dressed minotaur. However she stopped when she realised that she recognised the lights in the tunnel, she knew where it led and it filled her with more dread than even the monster had done. _No. I can't face that. Not again, not now._ She decided before turning from the freedom proffered back to the chaos going on behind her.

Perry and Doofenshmirtz were still fighting in front of the precipice but now they duelling with crocodiles, wielding them like fencing swords, and Doofenshmirtz was wearing a ball-gown. Also, like a surprising number of other things had done recently, the monster and its cage were no longer there. Candace was still trying to work out this latest development when she heard a familiar voice ask, "Watching something interesting Kevin?" She turned to see the zebra on the rocking chair, a sight which was ironically the least unusual thing in the room.

"Yes. Yes, I am." Replied Candace as the zebra faded into the background before her eyes. She belatedly realised that if he was here she must be having a dream. The realisation was an anchor for her muddled thoughts and she found herself able to think much more clearly now that she had the knowledge that nothing she was seeing was real.

_Maybe,_ a doubting thought butted in, _I do see that zebra a lot. Seeing it here doesn't necessarily make this a dream. No, no. This is definitely a dream. Perry is wearing a hat for goodness sake. Though strangely that doesn't seem so unusual. It's a dream, it's a dream. Unless this is another one of my brothers' crazy inventions. If they've got me in some sort of hologram again they are so busted. Wait, there is an easy way to check._ Candace opened her mouth and shouted, "Phineas, Ferb! You are in so much trouble is you are behind this!" There was no answer. _It's a dream. My brothers would have responded to something like that, I'm sure._

It was then that she turned her attention back to the fight in front of her. It seemed that during her mental argument Perry had managed to disarm Doofenshmirtz, the crocodile that the latter had been holding was now crawling lazily across the floor in no particular direction, and had knocked him to the ground. However now they had both stopped what they were doing and were staring at her, obviously reacting to her little test.

"Carry on." She said to them. She wanted to see how the fight ended. _It's not the first thing that I would make happen if I had control over my dreams, that would involve Jeremy and a moonlit romantic night, but I don't think I can get away from here at the moment, or,_ she added with a quick glance at the waiting tunnel, _a way that I would want to leave by, and it's interesting enough._ _Though by the looks of things this fight is pretty much over in any-case_. Luckily for Candace, and unluckily for dream-Perry, Doofenshmirtz was the first of the two to recover from the distraction and he promptly kicked the crocodile out of Perry's hands, the crocodile flew across the room before coming to rest near its fellow reptile, with a "Ha, ha." The look of triumph soon faded from his countenance when the disarmed Platypus jumped onto his face and started punching him repeatedly in the nose.

Seeing that the fight wasn't over yet Candace decided to try out some of the powers that she must have. _This is a lucid dream after all. And from what I've heard I must therefore have some control over it._ She reasoned before deciding to start with something small, also something that would add to the enjoyment of watching the spectacle playing out before her, before seeing whether she could fly away from here to Jeremy (Candace had a weird fascination about flying in dreams. Though she wasn't keen on the idea of being able to fly in real life, she considered it too weird and bustable for her tastes, she considered being able to fly one of the biggest freedoms dreaming brought). "Popcorn." She said while trying to focus on the snack. "I want popcorn." When nothing appeared she began to speak louder and louder, "Popcorn. Popcorn!" This time though the fight didn't stop, either the combatants could no longer hear Candace or they decided to ignore the girl shouting for sustenance in favour of concentrating on each other. _Hmm. The websites make it seem so much easier._ She thought with a bit of irritation. _But if I can't do this simple task how will I ever get to, and make, my dream date with Jeremy._

That was when she noticed that the snack of her choice was in a nearby vending machine. Candace assumed that she had managed to make it appear and began to head towards it. _Though the fact that the popcorn is in a vending machine is weird, maybe this isn't what it seems._ But she was far too excited about the fact that she had been able to control her dream in someway to care about such an observation so she buried her doubts that she shouldn't touch the machine. _After all, it's a dream. What's the worst that can happen?_ She likewise ignored the part of her mind that started listing all the bad things that could happen.

Candace was just about to get to the vending machine, while thinking about how she could improve her date with Jeremy by inserting her brothers getting busted in the middle of her dream, when she heard a thwack and Doofenshmirtz say something that she was inaudible to her.. She turned to see the pharmacist lying on his back not moving while Perry rode off into the distance on a jet-ski, to go back home she reasoned. _Oh, I guess I won't be needing the popcorn after all. And after I made it appear in the first place._ _Oh well, I'll just find my way off the building and see about making that date with Jeremy._

_Wait, doesn't the Doofenshmirtz, as that is where I obviously am, building usually explode every day._ Recalled Candace. _And it does usually do so just before Perry gets home._ Candace was quite pleased that she had made such a connection between events herself before she recalled, _Which is where he is heading now._ Her pleasure faded as the ground beneath her began to shake. "Great." She said to her dream in general, she was beginning to regret the fact that Phineas brought such an observation to her attention in the first place. "It takes me ages to make some lousy popcorn but a building explodes at the simplest thought. I'm going to…" She suddenly realised that there was nothing she could do to her own dream and that she better get off the building right now, strangely the knowledge that none of this was real and therefore she wouldn't be harmed in the coming explosion, did little to calm her down.

Luckily for her the building was taking a very long time to explode so she had plenty of time to panic. _Got to find an exit, got to find an exit._ She repeated to herself over and over as she looked around herself in desperation, both the crocodiles and Doofenshmirtz had vanished from sight by the moment. _There's the ledge._ She perceived with desperation. _Yes, it is a sheer drop. But surely I will be able to fly as it is a dream. Then again, it did take me a long time to make the popcorn appear. What happens if I the dream doesn't comply with my wishes quick enough and as much as I'd love to fly now I also love not splattering into the ground at a hundred miles per hour._ The thought of the sickening fall to the concrete below, which again was strong enough to drown out the part of her pointing out that she needn't worry as she wouldn't really be falling, made her look around some more in the search of a better escape-route.

That was when she saw that the tunnel that the minotaur ran down was still there offering safety from the immanent destruction, the shaking had increased dramatically and cracks were starting to appear in the ground. She looked at the welcoming darkness with its familiar lights and turned away from it. _I'd rather face the ground._ She reasoned, _at least that can't really hurt me._

Smoke was coming from the cracks as Candace ran as fast as she could, it was getting difficult to move over the heaving ground, to the edge. _This dream likes to be dramatic, doesn't it? Hopefully that means it won't actually explode till I'm away from the building._ She got to the precipice and looked down. The drop stretched on for miles and miles, in fact she couldn't even see the ground below. "I can't do this. I can't do this" She reiterated over and over as her fear of heights kicked in. _What's the point? It's a dream. If I die I'll just wake up. And dying up here will be a lot quicker than dying from hitting the ground way down there. Anyway flying in dreams is boring. I don't need to do that, I probably won't even remember any of this when I wake up. No, I'll stay here and wait for the blast to end the dream._

She looked behind her at the floor the was expanding as the extremely slow motion explosion reached its zenith and decided that she didn't want the dream to end just yet. _After all, I have lucid dreams so rarely who knows when I might have another chance to fly, who cares if it is mundane I want to do it. And if I close my eyes it won't be so bad. After all, it's not like I'm really falling._ She could already feel her fear ebbing away as she turned back towards the precipice (Candace's fear of heights was a constantly changing commodity sometimes so strong it is debilitating while at others so weak as to be barely noticeable). She closed her eyes while saying, as her fear had not completely gone away by this point, "I'm so going to get Phineas for this." And, while thinking really really hard about flying and not about falling to her death, stepped off the edge.

She was falling but she couldn't feel herself doing so. In fact she couldn't feel anything at all, apart from the fact that she was sure that the building had instantly sped up its destruction as soon as she left it thus putting the final nail in this dream's over-dramatic coffin, so she began to doubt that she was really in the air at all. _After all,_ she reasoned, _this dream hasn't been that consistent up till now so it would be no surprise if I were to open my eyes and find myself on a beach somewhere._ So she opened her eyes and saw that she was still above the streets of Danville, which she could now see, but that they weren't getting any closer and that they were passing by quickly under her.

_I'm doing it. I'm actually doing it._ "I'm flying! I'm flying! Ha, take that ground!" She shouted with glee while spreading her arms. _Right, let's go and find Jeremy._ However when she tried to change direction she found that she couldn't. It was then that she realised that she wasn't flying on her own but was being carried by someone. She looked up to see that the person who had rescued her was, _the mayor. Why would I dream of the mayor saving me. And what is he wearing?_

Sure enough the person holding onto Candace, and presumably the person who was really flying to Candace's annoyance, was Roger Doofenshmirtz. He also seemed to be wearing a red super-hero costume, she could also see that there were wires attached to the clothes that went into the sky but where they led to she had no idea. "Don't worry miss. I'll save you." Said the mayor randomly while she was staring at her.

"Hmm, thank you." Was her hesitant reply, while her mind raced about what this new development might mean. _Does this mean that I'm attracted to the mayor. Yuck no, I'm still angry that he choose that crazy coot to be mayor for a day over me. Then why? I guess it is just one of the weird things dream conjure. I would still have preferred it to be Jeremy who saved me though. That would have been so romantic._

While she was still fantasising about Jeremy the mayor put her down on the grass outside a house and flew off. _About time, why was he carrying me for so long in any-case?_ She thought as she looked around to get her bearings. She then took a good look at the house she was in front of and found that she recognised it. _Wait. This is Jeremy's house._

She had just realised this when the man himself came running out of the building and up to her. "Candace, that was so cool how you went to help Perry like that." _Is that what I was doing in that building? Well, if you say so. I'm not going to argue._ Jeremy then got down on one knee and produced a ring, from somewhere. "Will you marry me?" _It seems that I have control over this dream after all._ Was Candace's final thoughts just before the dream suddenly ended.

—

Candace woke up in the pitch black or early morning. _I was right about it being a dream, that's a plus. But, _She thought more glumly, _that means that Jeremy didn't just propose to me which is a big minus._ She looked at the clock by her bed which read 2:46. _Way too early to get up. Though hopefully I'll be able to get some more sleep before I have to get out of bed._ Candace wanted to be well rested for seven am, which was when her brothers got up, as that was usually when she would have to start trying to bust Phineas and Ferb.

As she currently had nothing else to do, she began to think about the dream that she had just had. _Not bad. I would have preferred it to have contained a lot more Jeremy than it did, or at least to have lasted slightly longer after the proposal, but it wasn't an awful dream. I did get to fly, and it wasn't the other dream._ The simple thought of the other dream made her shiver and hug the nearby Mr. Miggins (Though Mr. Miggins was not as loved by Candace as much as Ducky Momo he was a friend it was more socially acceptable to be seen with so she was with him a lot more than her real best stuffed friend. Candace suspected that Mr. Miggins was slightly annoyed at the fact that he was second favourite but he hadn't voiced any complaints yet) to her body tightly. Her mind quickly moved back to the dream at hand to avoid contemplating it for too long. _It was Phineas that made me have that dream though. If he hadn't talked about the Doofenshmirtz building I would never have dreamed about it._

_No,_ her thoughts countered as she started recollecting other dreams, and there were a lot of dreams to recollect, going back weeks perhaps months even. _I've had that dream a lot, though it probably was Phineas' fault that this one contained the building exploding. But why would I be dreaming of Perry fighting the brother of the mayor _(When she was bored one time, her brothers weren't doing anything bustable and Stacy, Jeremy and Jenny were all busy, she had decided to watch some TV. She had ended up watching a boring series about the mayor called 'Younger Brothers of the Useless'. Though she had turned it off after only a short while she had seen enough to know that the pharmacist that Perry had been fighting in the dream was the mayor's 'useless' brother Heinz Doofenshmirtz)_?_ _Why?_

Unable to think of a reason for such recurring dreams Candace's brain went onto other facts that had been bothering it while she waited for sleep again. _Who names their company 'evil' in any case? Is it meant to be an ironic name or something? Does that company even make anything? I don't recall them ever advertising any product. No, there was all those pop-up adds that kept appearing everywhere that one time but they didn't stick around for long and I don't think they provided any of the goods and services they offered. And why does that building keep exploding? Doesn't anyone investigate it or something? It has to be dangerous._

As Candace was cycling through these concerns she started to get the feeling that she didn't want to know the answers to the questions she was asking. It felt like if she found out about what was really going on with that building and its owner something bad would happen. This wasn't a new feeling either, Candace realised, she had felt it when Phineas had first pointed out the exploding building yesterday but it had been so slight she had ignored it. It seemed to be a lot stronger now. Also as she thought about the topic more the feeling grew even stronger till it seemed like every part of her was screaming to just drop the subject and go back to sleep.

_What's up with that pharmacist. Why don't I want to know about him? Is part of my brain hiding something from me? Can it even do that? What's with that feeling? Phineas and Ferb better not have anything to do with it. No, It's not their style. I doubt they would get much fun out of this, unless they can read thoughts. No, no, no forget about them. Then why? _Her brain struggled to find the answer but, like with the reason for the dreams, it came up blank . _It's not like it even matters, does it?_ _Let other people deal with it. It's not my problem. I have my hands full trying to bust Phineas and Ferb without having to worry about why a stupid building keeps getting destroyed._ Though it was a stupid reason Candace knew that there was little chance of her investigating the building with such misgivings as she had and it felt good to have an actual reason , not just a weird feeling, to not look into it, even if it was a stupid one.

With that issue sorted out, no matter how unsatisfied she was by the final conclusion, sleep began to overtake Candace again. She lost herself in the warmth of her bed and drifted towards unconsciousness while clutching, the possibly grumpy, Mr. Miggins. Before she finally went back to sleep her last thoughts were on Jeremy and that is probably why her next dream contained a lot less evil pharmacists and a lot more of her boyfriend.

—

**Yeah, there are going to be dream sequences in this story. They are also going to be integral to the plot (when I get round to it) so they are not things that can be just skipped past. Sorry if you don't like them but it is just how the story unfolded in my head. And yes, I do have a reason why Doofenshmirtz wants to take over the World and not just the Tri-State Area, I'm not stupid enough to make a mistake like that.**

**I've also managed to sort out the formatting problem. So I don't have to put spaces between the italics now, it used to take me ages.**

**Anyway, thank you for the reviews I got. Knowing my work is considered good makes writing it easier (relatively speaking, that dream was one of the hardest scenes I ever had to write). Like other fan fiction writers I will endeavour to answer the reviews at the end of each chapter. With that in mind, let's start:**

**jester1983: I'm glad you think it is good. Also it made sense to me that Candace would think about that sort of stuff (especially since the cartoon shows her to be very aware of how her life works).**

**weirdgirl332: Thanks for the compliment but be warned that I will be including parts of past songs in the later story (I can think of at least one that will appear) but they won't be taking up half the chapter (my chapters are way too long for that).**

**As I didn't do it at the beginning of the chapter: Disclaimer: I don't own Phineas and Ferb, Disney does.**


	4. Day Off

**Sorry for the delay I got caught up writing another piece of fanfiction for my brother. That story is still on going by the way so later will chapters will likely be similarly delayed (though hopefully never by this much again).**

**Right, another chapter another look at a part of Candace's life. As I promised before this one is different from the usual 'Candace wants to bust her brothers' plot that I explored previously as there is more to her character than that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't know Phineas and Ferb, Disney does.**

**—-**

Candace waved to Stacy, who was currently sitting at one of the outdoor tables of the Corner Cafe while waiting for Candace, to indicate that she had seen her and went over. "Hey, Stace!" Candace shouted when she was close enough. _She got here before I did. That's a good sign that our friendship is still strong, as some times I do wonder._

"Hi, Candace." Came the reply. Though Stacey did seem as happy to see Candace as she was to see her Candace couldn't help but notice a hint of worry in her best friend's voice. _Why is she so nervous? What did my brothers do? Or… maybe it was something I did. Better not go down that route as I'm probably just being paranoid. Stacey is fine._ As she got the table though Stacey added, "So, why did you want to meet me?" which Candace start fretting over their friendship again.

"What, I just want to hang with my BFF." Said Candace with forced calmness as she sat down opposite Stacey, who was currently half way through an ice-tea. _What's happened to our friendship. I know that we haven't been hanging out as much as we used to but I didn't think it had got to the stage where she would be confused by me wanting to be with her._ "Why else do you think I want to meet you?" Candace smiled when she asked that question though she was deeply dreading the answer. Before Stacey could answer though Candace turned to nearby waiter, partly because she was thirsty but mostly because she wanted to put off hearing what Stacey had to say for as long as possible, and asked "Can I have an ice-tea too, please?" With that done, and Candace seeing no other polite way to delay Stacey Candace turned back to her friend to face the inevitable.

"Well Candace, your call saying that we should meet did come completely out of the blue and I was worried, and please don't take this the wrong way. But is this another of your crazy plots to try and bust your brothers? I just don't feel up to following you as you rush around town today." Candace breathed a sigh of relief. _Is that all? I was expecting something far worse. I mean I can understand that worry, I probably do drag her along in my attempts to see justice done too much. But today she need not worry. The fact she is afraid that will happen is actually a good thing, as I can lay her fears to rest easily which means that she will be free to enjoy the rest of the day._

"Oh, no, no." Candace said, with joviality that was no longer fake, "My brothers are out with mom for the day. Yeah, some nerdy thing that's happening out of town, I wasn't really listening when they told me. They said that I could come along but I was like 'as if.' So, I promise you this will be a bust free day." Candace felt very good to have a day where she didn't have to worry about her brothers at all. The fact that she could barely remember a day when she hadn't had to at least resist the temptation to bust Phineas and Ferb made it all the more important to use this day to its fullest (which is why she had rung Stacey to see if she wanted to hang out as soon as her brothers were out the door).

"So you only wanted to be with me because you couldn't do anything about your brothers. It's good to see how important you think our friendship is." Was Stacey's reply, which shocked Candace who went immediately back to wondering about just how strong her relationship with Stacey really was. Stacey however, probably seeing how much her last statement had hurt her friend, was quick to assuage the ill feelings that she had caused. "Relax, relax. I'm just messing with you. It's good that we have a day without your brothers, it means that we can concentrate on what we want to do instead. But you do promise that you will not change your mind and suddenly run off to go and bust your brothers, don't you?" Again Candace, who was feeling a better now that she was almost satisfied that her friendship with Stacey wasn't any less strong as it had ever been, believed that she noticed that Stacey really wanted her to make such a promise. _However I think that she would help me out even if I did do that later today, which I definitely won't do I hope, as she is a good friend like that. Certainly a better friend than I deserve, considering how I've neglected her._

"I promise. Anyway, there's no way I could know what they're doing on at this film extravaganza, or whatever they are going to, in any case." It was at this point that her ice-tea arrived. "Thank you." She said to the waiter before going back to what she talking about to Stacey. So anyway, as long as I don't see anything to the contrary I can just assume they are being normal kids. Well, as normal as they can be." Speaking over Candace began to drink her beverage. _Of course that is almost with out a doubt not what is really going on. _Said a treacherous idea in Candace's brain, _They are probably doing something bustable right now. I could just give mum a quick phone call just to see what is going on and then…_"Even if I did find out that they were doing something crazy, what could I do about it?" Candace blurted those words at a rush, more concerned with trying to derail her train of thought than trying to reassure Stacey anymore. "They are miles away. What am I going to do? Run all the way to wherever they're at." Other than thought that flared up about the fact that if she really did have evidence that her brothers were working on another project Stacey would probably see some land speed records broken, _after all if I really tried I could probably get there in time to bust them if I knew where there was of course,_ Candace was reasonably confident that she had got her worries about Phineas and Ferb settled, _for now at least._ She now felt that she could devote her full attention into enjoying this quality time with Stacey.

"Great." Was Stacey's reply, and it was obvious to Candace that she was greatly relieved to hear Candace make such a promise. "Though I am a bit confused that you would want to spend the day with me over Jeremy. I mean I would have understood if you had." Again Candace had information about how the person Stacey was talking about was unavailable today. However she doubted that Stacey would react the same way that she had reacted to the news about her brothers. _She wouldn't pull the same trick again so soon and if we wasn't really upset about seemingly choosing my brothers over her today she certainly wouldn't be upset about me choosing Jeremy._

"He's teaching today. Won't tell me who though, says that he's 'sworn to secrecy'. Ohh, maybe he's a secret agent." Candace's imagination suddenly filled with scenes of special agent Jeremy Johnson shooting bad guys and looking really handsome in a tuxedo. _And then on a moonlit night, just after he has saved the world from Scandinavian diamond smugglers, he will turn to me and propose._

"Yeah, but don't spies meet with a lot of beautiful women. You could have some serious competition if he is one." Candace's fantasies came to a crashing halt when she heard Stacey's nonchalant reply. She decided that Jeremy wouldn't be a good secret agent after all and that he should just stick to teaching guitar. _He would still look good in a tuxedo though. Maybe I should get him one for his birthday._ "Speaking of boyfriends." Added Stacey, "Don't you think that Coltrane's new haircut is the cutest." Candace would have preferred to continue talking about Jeremy, _who has a way cuter haircut than Coltrane,_ but was willing to humour friend on this topic. _She talks so rarely about him that I can't really mind it when she does. I should probably encourage it, it does her no good to have such a major relationship that she never discusses. Anyway, Coltrane is in Jeremy's band it will be simple to change the conversation back to Jeremy if I want to._

"Yes, yes it is." Candace replied with what she knew her friend wanted to hear though personally she couldn't tell the difference between Coltrane's new haircut and his old one._ I have found that_ _boys in this town have a habit of finding a look that they like and sticking to it._ Wanting to change the subject from a new haircut that probably only Stacey could notice but still wanting to encourage Stacey to talk about her seldom mentioned boyfriend Candace changed the subject slightly. "So, how long have you two been going out?" Despite being the one who conspired to get them together at the concert Candace wasn't completely sure how long they had been an item.

"Oh, you know." Teased Stacey, who had finished her ice-tea and gave a quick signal to the waiter that she wanted another glass. "It's only been seven weeks and it isn't that serious yet." The tone of her voice suggested that she rather hoped it would get more serious and sooner rather than later. "The bass lessons are going well though. He says that I'm a natural." Stacey's voice took on a slight dreamy quality as, and Candace could only guess that this was happening, she started to imagine Coltrane playing the bass. Candace was pleased that Stacey was in such a happy relationship, and that she seemed to really enjoy talking about it but there was something about what her friend had said that bugged her. She quickly deduced what it was that had made her feel uncomfortable.

"Has it really only been six weeks? Seems a lot longer to me." Now that Candace thought about it, it had only been six weeks since the Summer Rocks Concert. It certainly didn't feel like it though. _I mean me and Jeremy have been officially going out for less time than that. And that's a scary thought, me and Jeremy have only been going out for less than six weeks. We're barely a couple. Calm down, calm down. Now is not the time nor the place to worry about that. Especially not when I have something else to worry about._

"It feels longer to me too. But you know what they say, time travels slower when you're having fun. Or something like that." Replied Stacey. Candace thought she heard concern in Stacey's voice. _ She 's probably worried that I will start obsessing over time next, not that I can blame her for that. But still something is seriously wrong with the idea that they've only been going out for six weeks, but what? It is obviously true._ She was about to dismiss her misgivings as just her being paranoid and talk about much more important things, like whether Stacey and Coltrane have done anything important enough to warrant an anniversary. _Other than the day they went out though, that's obviously important enough to get one. That reminds me the anniversary of when Jeremy first came round to my house,_ (He did so when Candace was in eighth grade, saying that she left her bag at school but Candace knew that he had really some around to see her) _I should probably get him a card or something. _However before she could do so a thought struck Candace and the world, especially the matter in which she had been struggling over, suddenly became a lot clearer. _Why didn't I see that before? Why did nobody see it before? It is so obvious._

Stacey seemed to have been growing slight uncomfortable in the long silence that Candace's thinking had made, though she had got her new drink in that time and had been taking some sips while waiting for Candace to say something. Eventually she opened her mouth, possibly to correct herself over the saying she had used, when Candace blurted out "Time makes no sense!" It was incredibly over-dramatic and didn't really get across the enormity of what Candace had realised but Candace had wanted to tell someone about what she had worked out right away and therefore hadn't wanted Stacey to start talking again.

However while Candace was trying to work out how best to follow on from her outburst Stacey managed to speak in any case. "Candace, are you feeling okay?" Said Stacey cautiously, deep concern for her friend in her voice. _At least she didn't change the subject though. But she now believes me to be even more crazy than she thought before. I probably shouldn't have said what I did, I need to find a way to fix that embarrassment, by explaining what I know in a clear manner, and quickly._

"Well, it does make sense, except no really. But haven't you noticed that the six weeks that have happened, while still being six weeks, have been a lot longer than six weeks should be. I mean in that time I've gone on 'Let's all Dance till we're Sick', flown around the world, gone on holiday to Hawaii and been grounded for a week. Don't you think that is a bit too much to happen in just six weeks? I mean I'm amazed that no-one else noticed, which is also weird, but it must be the case if you think about it. And it's not just the last six weeks the whole of summer has been going on for way too long." Rapidly ranted Candace, who was panting for air by the end. The excitement of what she was saying making her completely ignore her earlier warnings of caution. _Yes, that was real smooth. She certainly doesn't believe that I'm crazy now. Come on Stace understand what I'm getting at here._

"So, you believe that your brothers are somehow extending the summer vacation and no-one notices it. Is that it?" Asked Stacey slowly and deliberately. Candace was pleased that her best friend had been able to pick up what she was getting at so quickly, though she was less happy about the incredulous tone of voice that Stacey was using. _Though where did she get the idea that Phineas and Ferb are behind it. It makes sense though, if anyone was going to benefit from an extended summer it would be those two. I'm sure they would have bragged about it though, I'll look into that connection later._

"Well if not them," Said Candace, who decided not to dismiss the idea that maybe, just maybe, Phineas and Ferb weren't behind this development. "Then something else could be doing it. Ohh," She suddenly exclaimed, an idea coming to her, "Maybe whatever keeps my mom from seeing what they do is also the same thing that is making summer longer." _That could work. This way it makes sense that my brothers benefit from whatever happens but also makes sense of why they don't know about it. But I never did manage to prove completely that they aren't behind the miraculous disappearances of their bustable projects though, so maybe they are behind it. No, find out later. Convince Stacey that what I'm saying isn't crazy now._

"The same mysterious force, or whatever it is, that stops you from busting your brothers is also making summer longer. Candace, that's paranoid even for you." Candace certainty began to falter at Stacey's unwillingness to believe her and the fact that idea was pretty out there. _But_ _she is also against my idea that something is behind the fact that Phineas and Ferb's inventions vanish and that is true, though I often find myself doubting that as this new idea could also be true, couldn't it? Also 'Mysterious Force' is a really good name for it. I'm amazed I haven't thought of it before though it does sound very familiar._ "Remember the time when you thought Ferb was an alien or the time when you thought you were a vampire."

"But I was right those times." Candace almost screamed as she tried to hold onto the conviction that she must also be right this time as well. "Yes Ferb wasn't an alien then but my mom was, or at least an alien was disguised as her. And I was completely correct about the whole vampire thing. I turned to dust when exposed to sunlight." That day was still a disturbing one to remember for Candace (they put her together with glue, and Candace still couldn't work out that had worked) but it had happened. _And if something that crazy can happen surely what I'm suggesting could be true as well. It can't be that much more insane. Well, it is. But it's true. It's true._

"Yeah," replied Stacey after a while, obviously annoyed that her examples had backfired so badly, "but what about that time when you thought that Perry was threatening you? That didn't turn out to be correct, did it?" To be reminded of that stupid idea (She had first thought of it just after she returned from the boring trip to her grandparents where she had hallucinated after she believed she had touched some poisonous moss, she had then touched the real poisonous moss and had hallucinated some more. For a while afterwards she had been convinced that Perry had not wanted her to talk to her family about what she had seen in her hallucinations, she could barely recollect them afterwards in any case, and would have stopped her if she had tried. She and Stacey had quickly dismissed it as complete crazy talk as Perry is a platypus, they don't do anything. Strangely though, the dismissal hadn't stopped the dreams) was enough to finally convince Candace that her idea was a load of rubbish. _It proves that not every idea I have is correct._ She ignored the part of her mind that told her that was an understatement. _And to be honest Perry is much more likely to wear a hat than it is that the Mysterious Force,_ Candace had decided to use that name for it from now on, _is stretching time somehow._

"You're right, it was a silly idea. I can't believe that I even thought it. Let's just forget it ever happened, can we?" Said Candace with a smile. Meanwhile she was mentally chastising herself over what she had just done. _I've just made myself look like a real fool. And all over a silly, silly theory. It would be best if I never bring it up again and I hope, well I know actually, that Stacey will most likely honour my wishes._

"Okay, Candace." Replied Stacey sincerely, Candace thought she heard someone snap his fingers after that sentence but it was probably just her imagination. Then Stacey got an odd look in her eyes that Candace immediately recognised. "We'll probably not remember this tomorrow in any case. After all minor details like this are nearly never mentioned in following episodes." Added Stacey nonchalantly, as if she hadn't just challenged the entire nature of existence with a sentence. Candace herself didn't pay it much heed. It was just the sort of thing that happened, albeit rarely.It had happened to her a few times as well and it also wore off quickly, as such Candace thought that it was best to ignore it and that is what most other people seemed to think as well_. I'm pretty sure that there's a scientific explanation for it but who cares about that sort of thing other than dweebs like Baljeet. Anyway she could just be saying so that I won't feel as embarrassed about what I said as I should though that look on her face indicates that it was genuine._ Sure enough the unusual aspect to Stacey's countenance was soon gone replaced but a look of slight bewilderment over what had just been said. Then Stacey continued as if nothing had happened (something that Candace had observed was a common reaction from people when whatever it is that caused people to not think the world was real wore off). "Right so what do you want to do now?" Asked Stacey indicating Candace's drink, which had long ago ran out though Candace had been too caught up in the conversation to notice that she had been trying to slurp up ice-tea that was no-longer there. Candace was annoyed when she realised that this was yet another thing that would indicate to people nearby that she had finally lost her mind.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?" Asked Candace genuinely, this day had been completely unplanned so Candace was perfectly willing to do whatever her best friend suggested. She was slightly upset that Stacey hadn't gone back to talking about Coltrane again and she was feeling that this could the last she heard of him for some time. _It's an improvement at least. And these things take time so I can't rush them. I'm sure that I'll have her being more open about her relationship in no time. On the plus side now that she's finished talking about her boyfriend I can talk about mine again. She can't complain because we already had a significant part of the conversation talking about hers. Well, maybe it wasn't that significant but it was still part of the conversation so I could still use it as an excuse, right?_ Candace decided to not use it as a reason to talk about Jeremy, but also decided that she was going to talk about him in any case when the opportunity arises, excuse or no excuse.

"I came here because of your phone call so I thought that you had something planned." Stacey started speaking quite depressed. The after a pause she suddenly became a lot more excited. "We could go shopping at the Googolplex Mall. There's a new handbag there that you are going to love." Candace suspected that Stacey's excitement came not only from the prospect of shopping, something which she new that her friend got very passionate about, but also because the topic they were onto now was so much more simple that silly theories and existential crises.

Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring up Jeremy again and Stacey had provided a perfect way to do so too, "Well, I did see a new guitar strap on sale that I think will look great on Jeremy's guitar. I think I have some money left over from all the cameras." (Candace was continuing to buy the disposable cameras as they still seemed like a good idea though, because of budget constraints as they still broke regularly even on days when she didn't even use them, at a much reduced rate than before). "So, okay." Again there was that far off snapping of fingers which made Candace begin to wonder about whether Uncle Bob was nearby. _If he is I better say hello and see how that trip with Aunt Tiana to the Galapagos went, or have they already finished that._

"Great." Said Stacey as she got up to go inside to pay for the drinks that they had had. As Candace waited for her to return she started to grow slightly bored, she had already got the money ready to pay Stacey back for her drinks so had little else to do, so she decided to perform a little experiment as she hadn't seen any sign of Bob or Tiana so was beginning to really think that what she had heard had just been her imagination.

"Okay." She said in a reasonably loud voice, she wanted to be heard by Bob is he was nearby but didn't want to attract too much attention to herself as what she was doing would look pretty weird to other people. When she heard no reply this time she was forced to assume that she hadn't really heard what she thought she had and began to feel bad about speaking in the first place. _What had I hoped it would prove, other than how insane I can act in one morning. What I heard was obviously my imagination. If they had really been here they would have noticed me and would have come over to chat. It's that silly theory again, it's making me think weirdly I'm sure. The sooner I get that out of my head the better I will be._

Soon Stacey was back out of the cafe and she shook her head when Candace offered her the money, "No, it's my treat. Anyway I thought that you were short on cash." Candace appreciated the gesture but wanted to pay her friend back in any-case. _Maybe I'll buy her something nice at the mall. Stacey is sure to like that._

With the drinks paid for there was nothing stopping Candace and Stacey leaving, so they did so immediately. Candace was glad that they were going somewhere else, she was sure that she was getting some weird looks from the other outside patrons, but as she left her good mode soured slightly as she begin to wonder whether Jeremy would really want the guitar strap.

—

**Again, sorry about the delay in getting this chapter out. I would also like to remind you that I'm not very good at writing dialogue so if this chat seems too clunky I want to apologise in advance (I'm going to go to writing classes that will hopefully alleviate the issue.**

**Please read and review.**


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